Towle Ian, Davenport Carole, Irish Joel D, De Groote Isabelle
Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom.
Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, United Kingdom; Blake Emergency Services, Disley SK12 2DZ, United Kingdom.
Arch Oral Biol. 2023 Nov;155:105777. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2023.105777. Epub 2023 Jul 29.
Dental pathology and tooth wear data can offer valuable insights into the diet and behaviour of past populations. This study aimed to investigate the presence of dietary continuity by examining different types of dental pathology and tooth wear in a medieval sample from the United Kingdom, comparing them to earlier and later samples from the same location.
A comprehensive examination was conducted on 41 individuals (comprising 914 permanent teeth) retrieved from the medieval cemetery of St. Owens Church in Southgate Street, Gloucester, UK. The research focused on documenting and analysing various types of dental pathology and tooth wear, such as dental caries, calculus, and tooth chipping. The frequency of these specific pathologies and wear patterns was then compared to existing literature. Additionally, non-masticatory tooth wear was also evaluated as part of the study.
The sample exhibits high levels of carious lesions and calculus (24 % and 74 % of teeth respectively). Anterior teeth also show an elevated chipping frequency, and along with occlusal notches on the maxillary central incisors suggest teeth were regularly used for non-masticatory purposes.
Caries frequency is similar to sites from later periods and may relate to the early adoption of consuming refined carbohydrates. However, remains from the same area, but the earlier Roman period, also shows high rates of caries and calculus, suggesting a continuation of consuming certain cariogenic foods, or certain behavioural/environmental factors, may instead be responsible for these pathology and wear patterns.
牙齿病理学和牙齿磨损数据能够为了解过去人群的饮食和行为提供有价值的见解。本研究旨在通过检查来自英国的一个中世纪样本中不同类型的牙齿病理学特征和牙齿磨损情况，来调查饮食连续性，并将其与来自同一地点的早期和晚期样本进行比较。
对从英国格洛斯特市南大门街圣欧文斯教堂中世纪墓地发掘出的41个人（共914颗恒牙）进行了全面检查。研究重点在于记录和分析各种类型的牙齿病理学特征和牙齿磨损情况，如龋齿、牙结石和牙齿崩裂。然后将这些特定病理学特征和磨损模式的出现频率与现有文献进行比较。此外，作为研究的一部分还对非咀嚼性牙齿磨损进行了评估。
该样本显示出高水平的龋损和牙结石（分别占牙齿的24%和74%）。前牙的崩裂频率也较高，并且上颌中切牙上的咬合缺口表明牙齿经常被用于非咀嚼目的。
龋齿发生率与后期遗址相似，可能与早期食用精制碳水化合物有关。然而，来自同一地区但更早的罗马时期的遗骸也显示出高龋齿率和牙结石率，这表明食用某些致龋食物的延续，或者某些行为/环境因素，可能是导致这些病理学特征和磨损模式的原因。
